You absolute legend. I'm not a techy guy. Capable, but zero experience when it comes to getting under the hood of anything with a chip. Followed this step by step and was able to fix some mean left drift that had made the controller worthless. No more doing some weird "press joysticks in, circle left for 15 seconds, then right for 15" hokie pokie crap every fifteen minutes to re-engage the contact point. Bless you. This is my first comment on youtube because you FREAKING EARNED IT.
Agreed. Mine started a couple days ago. I’m better at destroying things then fixin em so I’m nervous to pull my controller apart. It’s my left one so it isn’t too bad but it’s quite annoying.
This is an incredibly high quality video. The splicing together of your clear explanation side by side with videos of the actual performance of the steps you are describing is so clear and so useful. Thanks so much!
that means an awful lot, thank you! I work hard on these videos and the communication is really important to me, I'm glad it seems to come through from a viewer's perspective.
Bro, thank you so much for this video, it was super helpful! I had two PS5 controls that have drifting, one more than the other so i decided to tackle the worst of them and lo and behold after following your steps in the video the controller is working as if it were brand new! All hope is not lost boys!
I was really bummed out, 3 of my 4 controllers are already unplayable. I saw this video and comments, bought a tool set (these are really cheap) and just finished the first controller.....IT WORKS AGAIN! You are a legend, wish me luck with the next two.
Thanks a lot man. Typically I HATE having to take apart any tech because I’m scared that it won’t work once put together but I am so happy this fixed my stick drift.
At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never make my controller feel alright. And after spending nights, thinking how Sony did me wrong. I grew strong, and learned how to FIX THE STICKS just by following along!
Dude, thank you! The metal bending part was the main issue in my controller. I would have never figured that one out as I was just cleaning components!
Man, thank you! This was the most clear and direct to the point sollution I found. Finally someone who avoids those "try pushing up, down, take 3 jumps, make a little dance" crap that doesn't solve the problem. I have 3 controllers, each one was drifting in different directions, and your video saved me. All 3 are working fine now. Once again, thank you!
Just leaving a comment to say this totally worked for me. There were multiple points where I thought I messed up, but it all worked out fine in the end. Thank you so much for this!
Buddy you have just saved me a small fortune on a new controller, I’m not tech savvy at all but after following you in this video (yes I think it took me an hour or so) I now have a controller working like new. Thanks for making a tutorial even someone like me can follow! You’ve got a new subscriber
Great walk through. Had stick drift on my original controller, ended up buying a new one and sticking the white controller into a drawer and moved on. After my 2nd controllers x button stopped working. Figured I'd try to fix my original controller and found your video. After cleaning both greeny blue plastic bits. The controller works like it just came out of the box. Now i feel more comfortable attempting to fix my second controllers x button. Appreciate you saving me 70$.
Just here to add to the praise of how this works wonders. Even me who's someone with slightly shaky hands and even more so in this case since I was so nervous of breaking something.
Totaly usefull video. I did it for a first time and it took me 20 min and steady hand controller works like new after I followed step by step. Salute from 🇭🇷
Just completed the whole process, literally a few minutes ago. Was playing GoW Ragnarok and could sit my controller on the sofa and Kratos would happily veer off to the left all by himself. Just fired the game up again and so far so good. Cleaned and also bent the little metal housing as you suggested. Many thanks!
Joe Thank you so much! You saved me! I am a woman, I do not understand Tech, I am brazilian AND I made step by step everything you did in this video and the control is fixed! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 You are the best 💛💛💛 now my son is playing well 👏👏👏
You are an absolute legend. ❤❤. Just followed your instructions right and now my dualsense controller works perfectly. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Fantastic video. I had bad drift with my 12 month old controller on the horizontal right thumb stick. I ended up cleaning both the horizontal and vertical parts, might as well. On checking the one I had drift with the small metal contact that comes out I noticed straight away there was a 1mm black mark in the metal contact near the top, not sure if it was a burn mark or a piece of trapped rubber but the Isopropyl alcohol, baby's toothbrush and wooden toothpicks removed it (closest I had to earbuds). So far so good, my sons playing his usual Fortnite and says its fixed. You saved me a new controller mate! Subscribed.
Just tried this today. My left joystick was drifting to the left and it was really annoying as I have only had it for about a year. This solved the trick and wasn't super hard either. Thank you.
it’s worth the effort guys. had nasty stick drift on my ps5 controller that I had used for a month after buying. was going to scrap it but have this video a try and it works flawlessly.
Absolutely amazing thank you so much! Fixed my controller that had mad stick drift after under a year - and that was a warranty replacememt for the last one that broke!
Most of the drift issues can be dealt with with cleaning, even with running can of air and blow into the whole part so it gets the dirt out, but if you keep your gamepads clean you'll get a good mileage out of them
I thank u so much .u are the real deal. I just did it today .I almost gave up .but I saw your video about the up & down problem drift I was having and u are so right about the dirt or grease and the springs u have to lift them foward and u are so right love u man. thank u 🙏🏾 ❤ now I’m back in fortnite thank u so much .I’m glad you save me from spend 79.00 for another new controller.
Hey man, thanks for the great video. Got my drift issues fixed. Unfortunately, I was less careful than I should have been with my L2 ribbon cable and I accidentally tore it. Thought I was good to go because my controller was working on the main PS5 menu, but it won't work in-game if it's not connected properly. Luckily I had another controller I borrowed the ribbon from while I order some replacement ribbons. Works like brand new now.
I'm sure you can buy a off the shelf potensiometer from any dealer anywhere, and use the components from it to fix/replace the part inside the thumbstics(on one or both pots inside the tumbstick)
Awesome video. Straightforward and extremely helpful. 100% worked and my controller is no longer drifting. Weird thing is that one sensor was filthy (x-axis), but the other (y-axis) barely had much build up, at all. Just glad to not have to buy a new controller.
You are a god damn hero thank you for the info. I just followed your steps and you helped save my old ds5. The drift was so bad and the dirt was right where you said to clean now its like a new controller again, and your reassembling part of the video helped so much thank you for posting this
I really appreciate this feedback, thanks for taking the time and congratulations on reviving your controller, it's a great feeling isn't it? I'm never sure quite how much information to include in these videos, keeping things short and watchable but also useful and informative is tricky. So that's good to hear!
Oh Joe, you’re a star. I’ve not had to deal with one of these yet (touch wood) but when I do I’m glad to see how much easier they are to get into than the Xbox Series pads. I’d probably also have gone straight to replacing the stick, as I’ve done in the past, but I might give your method a go next time!
Excellent video my friend. You have pointed out all tasks where we should be gentle. At the end of a one hour operation, I have found a tiny hair smaller than eyelash at the interior surface. Post-tested for three hours, the left drift was gone. One really need to be careful about the fact that for left-right drifts, they need to open upper green lid. By the time I have understood this, I have already cleaned the interior of the other green lid. One more warning to other watchers, do not do this immediately after having an espresso. You need your hands stable, no shaking. :)
This was brilliant! Thanks mate! It worked. I had difficulty putting the L ribbon cable located by the RCA jack (microphone ribbon cable). I didn't realized you're only supposed to pull out the ribbon. I pulled out the black pastic connector and it was difficult to put it back in without getting the two rows of pins bent. Oh well, I managed to put it back on but never tested if the mic works (I don't really used the mic in gaming). Thanks again.
Thanks a lot for the video! This took care of my stick drift issue. I'm not sure of the name of the part, but those white plastic bits that you pull out the potentiometer, one of mine was in pretty rough shape and the metal was bent a lot more than normal. I no longer have stick drift, but my look sensitivity is faster to the right than it is looking to the left. I bought a cheap Amazon kit that includes the potentiometers and all of the internal parts, I'm going to try replacing just the damaged white plastic piece to see if it helps. Unfortunately, I broke the mic ribbon cable (lower bottom right cable that you warned us about) trying to get it back in. Good thing I rarely use the mic, I can use my other controllers for that functionality 😂
Ahh yes that's so frustrating with that ribbon as it's so delicate. Took me ages to fix when I tore one. I would expect yours will be fine if you swap out the white parts of the potentiometer. Good luck!
Tried this, it didn't work the first time - in fact got worse, but then tried again and was more 'forceful' with the amendments to the spring mechanism on the potentiometer thing, and it worked the 2nd time for some reason and solved the stick drift completely. So has saved me £45. Quite a bit harder, and more fiddly than repairing the Switch Stick Drift, but worked in the end. Took me about 45mins - 1 hour to do it twice.
Thanks, took care of most of the constant jerking left on my kids purple controller. Bonus for taking the time to show it being put back together, I actually had my battery upside down and the wires were a bit loose.
@@JoeBleeps I found your video so good I'm back again to try and fix the drift on my 2nd PS5 controller. $75 for about 1 hr a day for 2 years, Sony should be forced to fix these for free like Nintendo did with my Switch Joycon, but you're the next best thing.
A tip for people who don't have alcohol cleaner.. you can use Ear buds to clean YES EAR BUDS but after that make sure there are no cotton fiber remains in the socket.. your mobile torch will do the work to see.. This works like a charm... Thank you so much.. i am not a tech guy or something but it helps me a lot i was going to buy a new controller 🎮 thankyou again..
Epic fix, thanks. Found some fine fiber barely visible to the eye. Caution- the black stuff isn’t dirt - it’s probably a conductive grease to keep your potentiometer life in check. I’ve ordered some online so will re apply it while I get back to playing Fortnite
@@ocnussorellius4242 oh yes I should have been clearer there, that's the conductive surface. It does build up dirt on that surface though and it sometimes needs cleaning to expose that surface properly
Thanks for this fix. Now not only did the drift goes away, now the sides of my controller has an added feature, 'textured' for better grip (read: screwdriver marks)
Works 🎉 I was able to fix a left drift issue… on a “new” controller. When I had the controller open the little tabs near the mic had already been opened, and poorly.
You made a very good video, but the potentiometer blue thing for the sticks did not come off and I was stratching the top off it, how do I get them off? Thanks!
I just did mine. It had terrible left drift it was filthy I don't know why it was new thank you so much I believe it worked I almost slammed it the other day you are the man saved me alot of money 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Thank youu! Had a bad drift going up and to the left on the left analog. made driving or walking around (eldenring) quite annoying 😅😅 the little disc chip that flew out when i popped open potentiometer was so nerve racking but its been put back together and works!
I gotta tell ya, this worked a lot better than punching it or banging it on my table. Haha. In all seriousness, very well put together video with great explanation and instruction. Thank you for saving me from headaches and saving my wallet from shelling out for a new one. Liked and subbed. 👍
I made the stick drift worse the first time, it drifted left even more, and the second go I made it so it drifted to the right almost maximum. Was I not gentle enough with the metal part to the potentiometer?
@@puppyhale167 sometimes that part just needs replacing. I had the same thing happen with an Xbox pad. You don't have to replace the whole potentiometer, just the middle bit usually does it
Thank you, you absolutely genius. I know nothing about tech, circuitry and the like, and you put together an excellent video with clear instructions so simple that an imbecile like me could follow and fix 3 controllers!! You just saved me $240.
thank you so so much for this! extremely helpful. hopefully, mine isn't so bad I have to get another controller... this was controller #4 because of this exact issue.
@JoeBleeps unfortunately it lasted for a day 😭 for some reason my thumbstick seems to press down farther than the other so I have to almost pull it back up? Going to try and find a solution for that now.
THANK YOU! I thought for sure I was going to have to buy a new controller. This one was less than a year old and had awful drift on the left stick. I did everything you suggested in the video and it fixed it. You rock.
I've finally managed to get the potentiometers cleaned but reassembling the controller seems to be much more annoying than I thought. The left hand ribbon cable is giving me quite some trouble, since it goes in in but won't stay in.
Mine doesn’t have drift , but it feels stiff or sticky ? On the right thumb stick . I do believe it may need some basic lubricant but I’m having a hard time finding a ok substance to put on a q-tip and no results . Any help would be useful as I do not trust myself to this degree ! Thank you in advance !
Thank you. Saved me $80 during a month I'm trying to conserve $. If your not very skilled, like me, it helped to use my phone to take pictures each step of the way. I could check k that I was reassembling properly.
You just saved me brother, I SWEAR I thought I needed to buy a new controller which seemed really werid to me since I just got a brand new ps5 less than a month ago, I felt dissapointed because how can a brand new controller just have that drift without having an extreme use, but thanks to your guide I was able to save myself the need to buy another controller, THANK U SO MUCH
I am by no means a tech guy but remember some of the tank control guys using an eraser to buff connectors. (You definitely dont want to leave eraser residue) but just wanted to throw that in there if it can help folks with other metal connectors that have a bit of tarnish on em. Hope that can help anyone 🙂
@@hope4ourfallen thank you! I've definitely done that with the contacts on game cartridges for game boy, nes etc but for this job the area needing cleaning is too small and fiddly for that
Not sure if my controller has stick drift, but something isn't right for sure. It will randomly input a left input, and it's really annoying especially when play GT7, and it isn't subtle at all, when it happens it's fast and powerful, turning off vibration with a few games like Apex, and Cyberpunk, didn't fix it, but remedied it a bit, since I noticed it triggered with every vibration, but didn't completely fix it.
Not drift as such then, but still an issue with the same component. It sounds like something has got in there, causing the internal parts to touch at a certain specific point, which in turn will give a false directional reading in the same direction every time contact is made. This method should hopefully help fix it.
@@JoeBleeps OK I followed your video step by step, annnnnnnnnnnd....... it actually worked. There was hair, and dust in the component, cleaned it out, and it works. Thank you!!!
would it be wise to change the battery as well for a even better performance? By the way you are The Goat, this video helped a loootttt. Thanks man, Subscribed.
I think these batteries should last for a fair while yet, they might need upgrading eventually but I don't expect you'd see much improvement in performance at the moment. Also thank you!
I'm sure you'll get there. I've had it where no matter how much I clean, it won't fix it. If you get a new potentiometer and pop it open, swap out the white bit with your current one, that might fix it
One scary thing that’s happened is at the part where I’m replacing the potentiometer, when i close the teal bit and test out the rotation it feels stuck for a second everytime i go up and down, have i broken the controller?
So i have a ps5 controller and everytime i really really gently and barely move the right joystick to the right the camera in the game moves to the oppisite direction. Can you help me please i googled this up like a bunch of time but it seems like no one has the same problem i have
Hi Joe, can u please send me a link where I can buy all of the tools that you used? I wanted to take te controller apart but I don't have any equipment
I just checked and they are out of stock, you should find what you need on Amazon. Any prying tools and precision screwdrivers should be fine for this job. Spudgers are very useful.
@@JoeBleepsI already checked that out before letting this comment but there’s so many different options idek which one would be. That would be awesome man
I did basically everything in this video step by step, and now my left analogue stick won't go left at all. What did I do wrong? Have I broken the controller?
Sometimes the damage is beyond needing a clean. The alternative is to replace the potentiometer or, more easily, just replace the white bit inside it. Give that a try and you should be okay
@@gianlucalavilla3763 it doesn't always work, I've had this happen to me too. If you buy a replacement potentiometer (easy to find on Amazon or eBay) you can just pop out the white part and replace your old one
I did this and my controller completely stopped working I was not forceful at all, my controller still plugs in and turns on and the vibration works although none of the buttons, triggers or sticks work now after doing this fix. Any advice?
You absolute legend. I'm not a techy guy. Capable, but zero experience when it comes to getting under the hood of anything with a chip. Followed this step by step and was able to fix some mean left drift that had made the controller worthless. No more doing some weird "press joysticks in, circle left for 15 seconds, then right for 15" hokie pokie crap every fifteen minutes to re-engage the contact point. Bless you. This is my first comment on youtube because you FREAKING EARNED IT.
Thank you so much! I'm glad it helped get your controller back on track 😊
bruv I just need to know how to link u so that I can send u 2 of mine to fix for me ££
It's DISGUSTING that this issue persists to this day.
Ridiculous that we are buying expensive controllers for current gen consoles and they are still using the same sticks from the PS3 era
Agreed. Mine started a couple days ago. I’m better at destroying things then fixin em so I’m nervous to pull my controller apart. It’s my left one so it isn’t too bad but it’s quite annoying.
@@DrunkDjinn it's not too difficult to open, definitely easier than the xbox controllers. And absolutely better than putting up with the drift.
Lmfaoooo facts
Had two controllers spoilt this way. Shame on Sony
This is an incredibly high quality video. The splicing together of your clear explanation side by side with videos of the actual performance of the steps you are describing is so clear and so useful. Thanks so much!
that means an awful lot, thank you! I work hard on these videos and the communication is really important to me, I'm glad it seems to come through from a viewer's perspective.
@@JoeBleeps I came here to say this too! You helped immensely! You're a legend. Cheers!
You are a legend. I, a 45 year old mum with no electronics experience, have just fixed THREE DualShock controllers this morning 🎉
Wow that's good going! We are never too old to learn more stuff. I hope the kids are impressed with your skills!
I wasn't going to try this but your comment just convinced me to order a bunch of micro tools and give this a shot.
Wow you deserve my respect 🙂
Salute to Mom for diving in and giving it a shot! Genuine respect for you both giving it a try with added praise for fixing a few of em🏆
Bro, thank you so much for this video, it was super helpful! I had two PS5 controls that have drifting, one more than the other so i decided to tackle the worst of them and lo and behold after following your steps in the video the controller is working as if it were brand new! All hope is not lost boys!
That's fantastic to hear. I appreciate you letting me know!
I was really bummed out, 3 of my 4 controllers are already unplayable. I saw this video and comments, bought a tool set (these are really cheap) and just finished the first controller.....IT WORKS AGAIN!
You are a legend, wish me luck with the next two.
Good luck! And congratulations on the first one
Great video. Super informative and detailed walkthrough. Fixed my issue! 👏
Thank you!
Thanks a lot man. Typically I HATE having to take apart any tech because I’m scared that it won’t work once put together but I am so happy this fixed my stick drift.
Glad to hear it worked!
At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never make my controller feel alright. And after spending nights, thinking how Sony did me wrong. I grew strong, and learned how to FIX THE STICKS just by following along!
@@mikithehat 😂👏👏👏love this!
Your video just saved two of my controllers. I greatly appreciated the explanation and the ease to take care of this. Well done and thank you!
That's brilliant! Thank you for the feedback!
Dude, thank you! The metal bending part was the main issue in my controller. I would have never figured that one out as I was just cleaning components!
Glad I could help! Thanks for feeding back
So the metal part don’t suppose to bend?
@@relocoleworld6381 no but so long as you don't do it too much it won't cause any damage
03.57am and I fixed my dualshock with my monster clumpsy hands. Dude like, I had more trouble with the screws. You are awesome
Bravo! Happy to help 😊
Awesome tutorial, the cleaning fixed the drifting issue completely. Much appreciated!
Happy gaming!
Man, thank you! This was the most clear and direct to the point sollution I found. Finally someone who avoids those "try pushing up, down, take 3 jumps, make a little dance" crap that doesn't solve the problem. I have 3 controllers, each one was drifting in different directions, and your video saved me. All 3 are working fine now. Once again, thank you!
@@micelicrvg216 I'm glad the video was useful. Congratulations on your repairs!
Perfect demo. I followed step-by-step and the stick drift completely resolved. Thank you!
@@honzatoman8320 so glad to hear that! Thanks for commenting
Just leaving a comment to say this totally worked for me. There were multiple points where I thought I messed up, but it all worked out fine in the end. Thank you so much for this!
Really glad it worked for you. These processes can be stressful but if it works in the end, it always feels worth it.
Thanks!
Thank you so much! Hugely appreciated
Buddy you have just saved me a small fortune on a new controller, I’m not tech savvy at all but after following you in this video (yes I think it took me an hour or so) I now have a controller working like new. Thanks for making a tutorial even someone like me can follow! You’ve got a new subscriber
Thank you so much! Yes always worth taking your time with these things, well done on the repair.
Thank you! This worked amazingly well!! Cheers!
Ahhh thank you so much! 🙏🙏🙏
Great walk through. Had stick drift on my original controller, ended up buying a new one and sticking the white controller into a drawer and moved on. After my 2nd controllers x button stopped working. Figured I'd try to fix my original controller and found your video. After cleaning both greeny blue plastic bits. The controller works like it just came out of the box. Now i feel more comfortable attempting to fix my second controllers x button. Appreciate you saving me 70$.
That's really great to hear. Thanks for letting me know!
Just here to add to the praise of how this works wonders. Even me who's someone with slightly shaky hands and even more so in this case since I was so nervous of breaking something.
@@Mateus_Pereira_Silva thanks so much for the feedback!
Thank you so much , it worked. If your movement goes to left you need to open upper one, it controls right and left direction
Yes that's correct. I'm glad it worked!
Totaly usefull video. I did it for a first time and it took me 20 min and steady hand controller works like new after I followed step by step. Salute from 🇭🇷
Excellent! Well done!
Just completed the whole process, literally a few minutes ago. Was playing GoW Ragnarok and could sit my controller on the sofa and Kratos would happily veer off to the left all by himself.
Just fired the game up again and so far so good.
Cleaned and also bent the little metal housing as you suggested.
Many thanks!
Glad to hear it seems to have worked!
Joe Thank you so much! You saved me! I am a woman, I do not understand Tech, I am brazilian AND I made step by step everything you did in this video and the control is fixed! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 You are the best 💛💛💛 now my son is playing well 👏👏👏
Congratulations! I am glad it was a success. It can be scary to try so well done for giving it a go
@@JoeBleeps yes very scary I literally sweat cold 😂😂😂 but everything was very well
I'm very glad@@bapideoli8485
You are an absolute legend. ❤❤. Just followed your instructions right and now my dualsense controller works perfectly. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Brilliant to hear. Good job!!
Cheers bud, my metal ring was bent, did as suggested with little hope by stretching out, you legend! It fixed it!
@@rollindeep786 ahhh that's great news
Fantastic video. I had bad drift with my 12 month old controller on the horizontal right thumb stick. I ended up cleaning both the horizontal and vertical parts, might as well. On checking the one I had drift with the small metal contact that comes out I noticed straight away there was a 1mm black mark in the metal contact near the top, not sure if it was a burn mark or a piece of trapped rubber but the Isopropyl alcohol, baby's toothbrush and wooden toothpicks removed it (closest I had to earbuds). So far so good, my sons playing his usual Fortnite and says its fixed.
You saved me a new controller mate! Subscribed.
Just tried this today. My left joystick was drifting to the left and it was really annoying as I have only had it for about a year. This solved the trick and wasn't super hard either. Thank you.
I am really glad it worked for you!
it’s worth the effort guys. had nasty stick drift on my ps5 controller that I had used for a month after buying. was going to scrap it but have this video a try and it works flawlessly.
@@onlymeadow that's really good to hear, thanks for sharing
AWESOME TUTORIAL!!! Just fixed my controller, I was just about to give up on it... I'm so grateful :D
@@leventeherpai-komoroczki3914 that's brilliant. Good job!
That just worked perfectly for me - solved a left drift on the left stick. Thanks for the detailed explanation!
Absolutely amazing thank you so much! Fixed my controller that had mad stick drift after under a year - and that was a warranty replacememt for the last one that broke!
Glad you managed to fix it! Thanks for commenting :)
Most of the drift issues can be dealt with with cleaning, even with running can of air and blow into the whole part so it gets the dirt out, but if you keep your gamepads clean you'll get a good mileage out of them
thanks geezer. I ordered spare pots and replaced them. But this was a great disassembly guide.
That's a great fix too. I did it with an Xbox controller recently for an upcoming video.
I thank u so much .u are the real deal. I just did it today .I almost gave up .but I saw your video about the up & down problem drift I was having and u are so right about the dirt or grease and the springs u have to lift them foward and u are so right love u man. thank u 🙏🏾 ❤ now I’m back in fortnite thank u so much .I’m glad you save me from spend 79.00 for another new controller.
Glad you fixed it! They charge too much for these controllers when they cheap out on the main components like this
@@JoeBleeps yesssss they do
Hey man, thanks for the great video. Got my drift issues fixed. Unfortunately, I was less careful than I should have been with my L2 ribbon cable and I accidentally tore it. Thought I was good to go because my controller was working on the main PS5 menu, but it won't work in-game if it's not connected properly. Luckily I had another controller I borrowed the ribbon from while I order some replacement ribbons. Works like brand new now.
Good save! Those ribbons are delicate indeed
have fixed my stick drift twice already with this tutorial. Amazing work thanks.
@@Ali-wf9ef that's great news, thanks for sharing!
This needs more views this video is amazing. Saved me a controller 🙏
Thank you! I'm glad this helped 😊
I'm sure you can buy a off the shelf potensiometer from any dealer anywhere, and use the components from it to fix/replace the part inside the thumbstics(on one or both pots inside the tumbstick)
Awesome video. Straightforward and extremely helpful. 100% worked and my controller is no longer drifting. Weird thing is that one sensor was filthy (x-axis), but the other (y-axis) barely had much build up, at all. Just glad to not have to buy a new controller.
@@aumurph glad you could fix it! Thank you for commenting
You are a god damn hero thank you for the info. I just followed your steps and you helped save my old ds5. The drift was so bad and the dirt was right where you said to clean now its like a new controller again, and your reassembling part of the video helped so much thank you for posting this
I really appreciate this feedback, thanks for taking the time and congratulations on reviving your controller, it's a great feeling isn't it? I'm never sure quite how much information to include in these videos, keeping things short and watchable but also useful and informative is tricky. So that's good to hear!
Oh Joe, you’re a star. I’ve not had to deal with one of these yet (touch wood) but when I do I’m glad to see how much easier they are to get into than the Xbox Series pads. I’d probably also have gone straight to replacing the stick, as I’ve done in the past, but I might give your method a go next time!
Well worth a try! The stick replacement was not fun
Excellent video my friend. You have pointed out all tasks where we should be gentle. At the end of a one hour operation, I have found a tiny hair smaller than eyelash at the interior surface. Post-tested for three hours, the left drift was gone. One really need to be careful about the fact that for left-right drifts, they need to open upper green lid. By the time I have understood this, I have already cleaned the interior of the other green lid.
One more warning to other watchers, do not do this immediately after having an espresso. You need your hands stable, no shaking. :)
@@ismailbasoglu4252 stable hands are helpful. But you will have been alert, at least!
Very good guide! After some cleaning gamepad work absolutely perfect 😁 Thank You 🙏
I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know :)
Thank you so very much for showing how to remove that cursed cover!!! Sprayed some canned air around the joystick a lot easier that way! Subscribed!
@@cw7076 thank you! I'm glad it was helpful!
I have to say, it’s 2:20 am and I just fixed it I can’t believe it worked and it wasn’t even dirty
Thank you soo much
Fantastic to hear! Good job
This was brilliant! Thanks mate! It worked. I had difficulty putting the L ribbon cable located by the RCA jack (microphone ribbon cable). I didn't realized you're only supposed to pull out the ribbon. I pulled out the black pastic connector and it was difficult to put it back in without getting the two rows of pins bent. Oh well, I managed to put it back on but never tested if the mic works (I don't really used the mic in gaming). Thanks again.
@@newvillagefilms well done! It can get a bit tricky with those ribbons
Thanks a lot for the video! This took care of my stick drift issue. I'm not sure of the name of the part, but those white plastic bits that you pull out the potentiometer, one of mine was in pretty rough shape and the metal was bent a lot more than normal. I no longer have stick drift, but my look sensitivity is faster to the right than it is looking to the left. I bought a cheap Amazon kit that includes the potentiometers and all of the internal parts, I'm going to try replacing just the damaged white plastic piece to see if it helps. Unfortunately, I broke the mic ribbon cable (lower bottom right cable that you warned us about) trying to get it back in. Good thing I rarely use the mic, I can use my other controllers for that functionality 😂
Ahh yes that's so frustrating with that ribbon as it's so delicate. Took me ages to fix when I tore one. I would expect yours will be fine if you swap out the white parts of the potentiometer. Good luck!
Tried this, it didn't work the first time - in fact got worse, but then tried again and was more 'forceful' with the amendments to the spring mechanism on the potentiometer thing, and it worked the 2nd time for some reason and solved the stick drift completely. So has saved me £45. Quite a bit harder, and more fiddly than repairing the Switch Stick Drift, but worked in the end. Took me about 45mins - 1 hour to do it twice.
Really glad to hear it worked in the end. I love that perseverance
Thanks so much for that! It really worked! Not that hard to do going step by step with the video.
@@PaulooPZ really glad to hear that, thank you
Thanks, took care of most of the constant jerking left on my kids purple controller. Bonus for taking the time to show it being put back together, I actually had my battery upside down and the wires were a bit loose.
@@robertemmerich9666 thanks for the feedback, it's useful to know what people find useful
@@JoeBleeps I found your video so good I'm back again to try and fix the drift on my 2nd PS5 controller. $75 for about 1 hr a day for 2 years, Sony should be forced to fix these for free like Nintendo did with my Switch Joycon, but you're the next best thing.
@@robertemmerich9666 I appreciate that feedback, thank you! I agree that they really need to be better.
A tip for people who don't have alcohol cleaner.. you can use Ear buds to clean YES EAR BUDS but after that make sure there are no cotton fiber remains in the socket.. your mobile torch will do the work to see..
This works like a charm... Thank you so much.. i am not a tech guy or something but it helps me a lot i was going to buy a new controller 🎮 thankyou again..
I am glad this helped!
Epic fix, thanks. Found some fine fiber barely visible to the eye. Caution- the black stuff isn’t dirt - it’s probably a conductive grease to keep your potentiometer life in check. I’ve ordered some online so will re apply it while I get back to playing Fortnite
@@ocnussorellius4242 oh yes I should have been clearer there, that's the conductive surface. It does build up dirt on that surface though and it sometimes needs cleaning to expose that surface properly
Thanks for this fix. Now not only did the drift goes away, now the sides of my controller has an added feature, 'textured' for better grip (read: screwdriver marks)
@@micr0e 🤣 oops. Well at least it's working 😅
@@JoeBleeps true! Thanks!
Works 🎉 I was able to fix a left drift issue… on a “new” controller. When I had the controller open the little tabs near the mic had already been opened, and poorly.
That's great that you fixed it! And a little shady that a controller would be sold as new after someone opened it up...
You made a very good video, but the potentiometer blue thing for the sticks did not come off and I was stratching the top off it, how do I get them off? Thanks!
@@jawshadow5491 it is a little awkward, I used my spudger starting from the corners
Thanks for this video. Had this issue with two of my controllers. Following your guide helped me to resolve the issue!
Love hearing that! Thanks for sharing
Extremely helpful, thanks so much. So far so good on everything post-reassembly!
Thank you for this mate. Done the job. You'll save people loads of money 👍🏼
@@madmatt10583 thank you! Well done on the repair
I just did mine. It had terrible left drift it was filthy I don't know why it was new thank you so much I believe it worked I almost slammed it the other day you are the man saved me alot of money 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Really glad to hear that!
Rock start!! Worked like a charm! Thanks mate!
Excellent! You're welcome
Thank youu! Had a bad drift going up and to the left on the left analog. made driving or walking around (eldenring) quite annoying 😅😅 the little disc chip that flew out when i popped open potentiometer was so nerve racking but its been put back together and works!
@@Huntneil yes! Congratulations!
I gotta tell ya, this worked a lot better than punching it or banging it on my table. Haha.
In all seriousness, very well put together video with great explanation and instruction. Thank you for saving me from headaches and saving my wallet from shelling out for a new one. Liked and subbed. 👍
Thank you for your support! I am glad the video was useful :)
I made the stick drift worse the first time, it drifted left even more, and the second go I made it so it drifted to the right almost maximum. Was I not gentle enough with the metal part to the potentiometer?
@@puppyhale167 sometimes that part just needs replacing. I had the same thing happen with an Xbox pad. You don't have to replace the whole potentiometer, just the middle bit usually does it
So helpful! It worked like a charm! Thx dude!
Thank you, you absolutely genius. I know nothing about tech, circuitry and the like, and you put together an excellent video with clear instructions so simple that an imbecile like me could follow and fix 3 controllers!! You just saved me $240.
thank you so so much for this! extremely helpful. hopefully, mine isn't so bad I have to get another controller... this was controller #4 because of this exact issue.
@@arixbray1975 it's worryingly common. I hope you are able to fix it!
@JoeBleeps unfortunately it lasted for a day 😭 for some reason my thumbstick seems to press down farther than the other so I have to almost pull it back up? Going to try and find a solution for that now.
@@arixbray1975 oh no. If it makes you feel better I've often had ones that took a few attempts to fix. Staying patient is the hardest skill
@@JoeBleeps I'll probably take it apart again to see if I can clean it again. Can't hurt to try!
@arixbray1975 can't be worse I suppose!
so easy to need to maintenance
so much pain in the ass to do the maintenance
thanks sony!
Thanks man!! Repaired my controller with your help! Weird and rude that Sony doesn't do anything about this infamous issue...
I can hardly believe it but I think this fixed my drift! Thanks for making this vid.
Fantastic to hear!
THANK YOU! I thought for sure I was going to have to buy a new controller. This one was less than a year old and had awful drift on the left stick. I did everything you suggested in the video and it fixed it. You rock.
So good to hear! Thanks for commenting
I've finally managed to get the potentiometers cleaned but reassembling the controller seems to be much more annoying than I thought. The left hand ribbon cable is giving me quite some trouble, since it goes in in but won't stay in.
The ribbons can be very tricky! They've tested my patience on a few occasions
Mine doesn’t have drift , but it feels stiff or sticky ? On the right thumb stick . I do believe it may need some basic lubricant but I’m having a hard time finding a ok substance to put on a q-tip and no results . Any help would be useful as I do not trust myself to this degree ! Thank you in advance !
That is strange. I expect they have some sort of silicone grease in there to get a smooth movement. Has it been like that for long?
IT WORKS!!!!!!! Thank you sooo much. You just saved my 2 controllers!!!
I'm really glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to feedback :)
Thank you. Saved me $80 during a month I'm trying to conserve $. If your not very skilled, like me, it helped to use my phone to take pictures each step of the way. I could check k that I was reassembling properly.
@@roberthamilton606 taking pictures as you go is a really good habit
You just saved me brother, I SWEAR I thought I needed to buy a new controller which seemed really werid to me since I just got a brand new ps5 less than a month ago, I felt dissapointed because how can a brand new controller just have that drift without having an extreme use, but thanks to your guide I was able to save myself the need to buy another controller, THANK U SO MUCH
It's so bad that this starts happening with such new hardware. I am very glad you fixed it, good job!
You just saved me $70 and earned a like and sub. A gentleman and a scholar.
Thank you!
Thank you 😅 don't like doing it but helped massively
yeah it's always a bit nerve-wracking doing stuff like this!
I am by no means a tech guy but remember some of the tank control guys using an eraser to buff connectors. (You definitely dont want to leave eraser residue) but just wanted to throw that in there if it can help folks with other metal connectors that have a bit of tarnish on em.
Hope that can help anyone 🙂
@@hope4ourfallen thank you! I've definitely done that with the contacts on game cartridges for game boy, nes etc but for this job the area needing cleaning is too small and fiddly for that
Not sure if my controller has stick drift, but something isn't right for sure. It will randomly input a left input, and it's really annoying especially when play GT7, and it isn't subtle at all, when it happens it's fast and powerful, turning off vibration with a few games like Apex, and Cyberpunk, didn't fix it, but remedied it a bit, since I noticed it triggered with every vibration, but didn't completely fix it.
Not drift as such then, but still an issue with the same component. It sounds like something has got in there, causing the internal parts to touch at a certain specific point, which in turn will give a false directional reading in the same direction every time contact is made. This method should hopefully help fix it.
@@JoeBleeps OK I followed your video step by step, annnnnnnnnnnd....... it actually worked. There was hair, and dust in the component, cleaned it out, and it works.
Thank you!!!
would it be wise to change the battery as well for a even better performance? By the way you are The Goat, this video helped a loootttt. Thanks man, Subscribed.
I think these batteries should last for a fair while yet, they might need upgrading eventually but I don't expect you'd see much improvement in performance at the moment. Also thank you!
You made my day bro, thx very much
Fantastic, you're welcome
Amazing video! I somehow managed to make my stick drift worse... So I obviously did something wrong. Rewatching until I fix it! Thanks for posting!
I'm sure you'll get there. I've had it where no matter how much I clean, it won't fix it. If you get a new potentiometer and pop it open, swap out the white bit with your current one, that might fix it
One scary thing that’s happened is at the part where I’m replacing the potentiometer, when i close the teal bit and test out the rotation it feels stuck for a second everytime i go up and down, have i broken the controller?
Is that before you close it back up? The sticks lock out in each direction without the front faceplate to keep them centred
@@JoeBleeps ohhh yh i haven’t closed the controller back up yet no
@@nkcgamer115 try just laying the faceplate on top of the sticks and see if they still do the same
So i have a ps5 controller and everytime i really really gently and barely move the right joystick to the right the camera in the game moves to the oppisite direction. Can you help me please i googled this up like a bunch of time but it seems like no one has the same problem i have
Have you tried cleaning the potentiometer for the sideways movement on that stick?
@@JoeBleeps wait i cleaned the wrong potentiometer!?!?
@@voorust2287 for that issue you'd be cleaning the one at the top of the stick
@@JoeBleeps oh thank you so much
@@voorust2287 no problem 🙏
Hi Joe, can u please send me a link where I can buy all of the tools that you used? I wanted to take te controller apart but I don't have any equipment
If you go on the ZedLabz link in the description you'll find the tools you need, I'll try and find a specific link for you
I just checked and they are out of stock, you should find what you need on Amazon. Any prying tools and precision screwdrivers should be fine for this job. Spudgers are very useful.
@@JoeBleepsI already checked that out before letting this comment but there’s so many different options idek which one would be. That would be awesome man
@@diogoricardo3406 for DualSense controller, Philips #00 screwdriver, spudger, tweezers and opening pick are recommended 😊
Thanks sir - worked like a charm. I thought this controller was a goner.
Great to hear!
I did basically everything in this video step by step, and now my left analogue stick won't go left at all. What did I do wrong? Have I broken the controller?
Sometimes the damage is beyond needing a clean. The alternative is to replace the potentiometer or, more easily, just replace the white bit inside it. Give that a try and you should be okay
I have L drift on the left stick just did this and the issue persists. I tried reset on the controller but no changes.
@@gianlucalavilla3763 it doesn't always work, I've had this happen to me too. If you buy a replacement potentiometer (easy to find on Amazon or eBay) you can just pop out the white part and replace your old one
Just fixed 3 controllers with this method, awesome video!
I did this and my controller completely stopped working I was not forceful at all, my controller still plugs in and turns on and the vibration works although none of the buttons, triggers or sticks work now after doing this fix. Any advice?
Worked for me, thanks man. I was about to buy a new one.
You're welcome!
dude, you're a lifesaver! Thanks a lot
@@joaovictorjpetter 😄 you're welcome
My character moves left or right when im moving my L3 but my R3 is the ones that turns
It varies which stick gets the drift, they are both the same component
My controller is 2 months old and my right stick makes me just randomly spin to the left. Will this help?
It should do, that's pretty bad for such a new controller though, maybe you can return it?
@JoeBleeps I wish. I work on an island in the middle of the pacific ocean. Luckily, I ordered 2 new ones that will be here in about 2 weeks
I hope those two last a bit longer!@@jhick77
Thanks a lot. I have 3 controllers with this problem e I thought I'd change the analogic.
Your guide worked perfectly
Tried this, even replaced the wipers with new, and both sticks are still drifting. Any thoughts?
@@luna_thetunatic it can become very frustrating... When I've had one like this I've replaced the entire potentiometer
i tore the lil right ribbon next to the speaker, anyone knows what it's purpose?
@@flesh_blanket probably the microphone. I've done that before and it was a nightmare to fix but I think you can get replacement ribbons
My drift is in my right stick.It pulls hard left.So does that mean I have to clean the top potentiometer?
That's correct